


Did You Think I Was Gone Forever?

by Princessofcorona



Category: Tangled (2010)
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, Drama & Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2018-12-10 19:34:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11698446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princessofcorona/pseuds/Princessofcorona
Summary: In the first episode of Tangled: the series, Rapunzel has a nightmare in which Gothel returns. But what if it wasn't just a nightmare? What if Gothel really had returned?There is one thing I had to change to make the story work: in the series, Rapunzel's hair doesn't have the healing power, but in this story, it does.





	1. Chapter 1

"And they lived Happily Ever After. The End." 

These words have been mistakenly put together in stories for centuries. 

Happily Ever After doesn't mean the end. 

In fact, in this story, Happily Ever After is the beginning. 

~~~

It seemed like just yesterday, Rapunzel was still living in her tower, dreaming of seeing the floating lanterns.

It had been six months since then. Since she had saved Eugene, since her Mother (who turned out to not actually be her mother) had turned to dust, since Rapunzel had been reunited with her real family. 

Rapunzel was free now. Free from Mother Gothel, free from the tower. But life as a princess in the castle wasn't what she had expected. Royal duties were keeping her very busy and even after half a year, she was still having trouble adjusting. Even a free morning in the town meant guards following her closely, barely even letting her move freely. Rapunzel knew she should be happy, surrounded by those who love her, but honestly, she didn't feel free at all. Rapunzel needed a break from the castle. Just one getaway night. 

And that's exactly what she got. 

Only it didn't make her situation any better. If anything, it had gotten worse. On her adventure last night, she'd come back with something she'd lost a long time ago: her hair. She didn't know how or why it had grown back, but it was definitely back. And there was no getting rid of it this time. No matter how hard she tried, nothing would cut through the hair, not even the sharpest and deadliest weapons. She had tried everything. 

The hair hadn't gone over well with her family and especially not her father, the king. He had gotten angry at her for sneaking out and even angrier when he discovered the hair was back. He ordered her to be confined to the walls of Corona. He couldn't risk losing her again. 

~♡~

"Goodnight, Eugene," Rapunzel said. As Rapunzel started to get up, Eugene gently put his hand on her hand. "Wait," he said. He leaned in and softly, but affectionnately kissed her. For a brief moment they stayed like this, lips locked in their loving embrace. 

Rapunzel wanted the kiss to last forever, but she knew it couldn't; it was late, probably past midnight, and it had been a long day for her. She gently pulled away from the kiss, her large beautiful green eyes lingering on Eugene as the feeling of Eugene's lips on hers faded, her heart not wanting the kiss to end. Rapunzel stood up and began walking to her bedroom. "Goodnight, Blondie," Eugene said. At these words, Rapunzel turned around and smiled at Eugene briefly, before continuing on her way to her bedroom.

Rapunzel opened the door to her bedroom as quietly and carefully as possible, not wanting to wake the rest of the castle. She stepped inside and turned on the light.

"Hello, Rapunzel," said a voice. A familiar voice. An extremely familiar voice. One Rapunzel had been sure she would never hear again.

Rapunzel recognized the voice immediately. Her pulse quickened and she backed away from the shadows where the voice had come from. Her whole body was trembling in fear. "I...I don't.." she started to say, her voice cracking, as if she was on the verge of tears. "You're...s--supposed to..to be.." dead, she wanted to finish her sentence, but the words wouldn't come anymore as the hooded figure who had spoken stepped into the light.

The woman took off her hood and walked towards Rapunzel. "Did you think I was gone forever?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is going to be a bit of a prequel, simply explaining one major loophole that chapter one left. It will take place a few hours before the events of chapter 1. 
> 
> This chapter is also a little short, for the simple reason that it is more to explain logistics than actually advance the story. Sorry! 
> 
> And without further ado, here is chapter two! Enjoy!

Just outside the tower, Rapunzel's childhood home, that had really been a prison, specks of dust were piling up. Only it wasn't windy. In fact, to anyone observing, the dust would seem to be gathering all by itself. But no one was observing this, no one was around to see dust piling up deep in the forest, outside a hidden tower in which no one had resided for six months. 

Soon the pile of dust began to change form, materializing into a head, neck, chest, arms, and so on until an entire body had formed from this pile of dust. 

Gothel sat up and looked down in surprise at her hands, then at her whole body. How was this possible? She has been dead... Gothel remembered falling from the tower, so old and weak. So how was she alive again? Gothel didn't know but she wasn't complaining. The first thing she knew she had to do was find Rapunzel. Sure, she was alive, but she would start aging again soon if she did not retrieve her previous flower. 

Before leaving, Gothel went back up to the tower to get her dagger and Rapunzel's old frying pan. She stored both of these under her cloak. Both of these could come in handy if she needed to get people out of the way. She wanted to travel as light as possible so that was all she took before leaving. 

Gothel walked through the forest for so long that she didn't even know how long she had walked for; she lost track of time. Her muscles ached, her back ached... This only made her more determined to walk faster and get to Rapunzel as soon as possible. It was night, so Rapunzel was almost surely in the castle. So that's where Gothel was headed to.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, she could see the bridge to cross onto the kingdom in the near distance. She crossed, and then approached the castle. Of course, there were guards guarding the entrance. That problem was quickly solved. With a few hits of the frying pan, they were all lying on the ground, unconscious. 

Quietly as ever, Gothel walked through the castle, searching for Rapunzel's bedroom. Even if she wasn't there now, Gothel knew she would have to go to bed eventually. Rapunzel's room was a dead giveaway, with the purple comforter, replicas of the Floating Lanterns hanging from above, and a painting directly on the wall. This had to be it. In silence, in the shadows, Gothel waited for Rapunzel.

Finally, her precious Flower walked into the room, hair as beautiful and gold as ever. Gothel smiled maliciously, and thought to herself, "time to get my Flower back..."


End file.
